- Four days after Christmas, the story of an "unwanted" puppy at a shelter went viral on TikTok.
- Winnie the puppy was then adopted by a couple in Chicago who saw the video.
A Chicago puppy named Winnie was adopted after the story of how she was given away as an "unwanted Christmas gift" was shared on TikTok.
She's become the latest example in a series of cases where animals have found new homes after going viral on the app.
On December 29, a user named @khantheedane posted a video of Winnie, with an on-screen caption that read, "We're already getting unwanted Christmas gifts."
"Please be responsible. Don't give out pets as gifts to someone who didn't ask for one or done research on how to care for it," an additional caption under the post read.
@khantheedane Please be responsible. Don’t give out pets as gifts to someone who didn’t ask for one or done research on how to care for it. This bean ended up on the shelter at 1mo#christmaspuppy #shopresponsibly #dc #dogcommunity #shelterdog #adoptme ♬ Iris - Natalie Taylor
The video went viral, receiving 2.5 million views, and commenters said they were heartbroken to hear about what happened to the puppy, who the user said was only one month old.
"No sweet angel, please find this baby a proper home!!!" said one commenter, while another person wrote, "animals are not accessories that can be discarded when no longer wanted."
The user who posted the clip did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but a spokesperson from The Anti-Cruelty Society — a nonprofit animal shelter in Chicago — told Insider in a statement that the user is a staff member.
They explained that when they accept animals at the shelter, they ask for the owners to give a reason for their relinquishing of the pet and that the reason given in this particular instance was that she was an "unwanted surprise Christmas present."
They also said that it's likely many shelters will see animals being relinquished after the holiday season, so they encourage people not to give animals as gifts without discussing it with the recipient.
But it seems Winnie's story had a happy ending. After going viral on TikTok, she was adopted by a couple in Chicago who have since made an Instagram account dedicated to sharing updates about her with people who saw her story on TikTok.
"Hi! I'm Winnie! I'm a Chicago pup ready to explore the big city. My birthday is 10/29 and I am a golden, lab and rhodesian ridgeback mix. I was bought as an unwanted Christmas gift and brought to the shelter three days later. Thankfully I have new paw-rents who saw me go viral on Tik Tok and are so excited to spoil me rotten," a caption under the first post on the Instagram account, shared on January 7, read.
Emily Greenman, who adopted Winnie with her boyfriend Jake Kream, told Insider that after deleting the TikTok app she re-downloaded it and came across the viral video of Winnie as soon as she opened the app.
"Winnie's video was the first video I saw. I instantly fell in love, and showed Jake immediately," she said, adding, "As cheesy as it sounds, it feels like fate that we have her."
There have been several other cases of abandoned dogs who have found new homes after their stories went viral on TikTok in recent months.
In September, a photographer named Albert Harris who works for Orange County Animal Services in Orlando, Florida, shared a video of Sarge, the shelter's "longest resident," who Harris said was "slowly losing hope" without anyone to adopt him. Six days later, after the video blew up and received 4.7 million views, Harris said that Sarge had found a new home thanks to the online attention he received.
@aharrisphoto Imagine being in a kennel with no to little interaction. This is the case for Sarge. Let’s get him a home. #adoptdontshop #animalshelter #shelterdog #dogtok ♬ original sound - sweetsaudioz
"This is indeed the power of social media!" an onscreen caption on the post read.
In November, Insider reported that a New York animal rescue organization said it received a wave of applications from people looking to adopt a rescue dog named Bob who went viral after a TikToker posted a video of him standing alone at an adoption event while other dogs got more attention.
At the time, a spokesperson from the organization, Badass Animal Rescue, told Insider: "We wish every video went viral of our dogs and others who need homes — look at how much interest and advocacy has resulted. The reality is, this doesn't happen often and there are so many deserving dogs who actually do get passed over (seniors, etc.) or don't receive as much attention at events."
For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here.